Mutch named Gershman Chair in colon and rectal surgery
Has served as chief of surgery section since 2015
Peter NewcombMatthew Mutch, MD, chief of the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named the Solon and Bettie Gershman Chair in Colon and Rectal Surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Matthew Mutch, MD, chief of the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named the Solon and Bettie Gershman Chair in Colon and Rectal Surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH).
A national leader in the laparoscopic treatment of colorectal cancer and the training of surgeons in this procedure, Mutch has served as colon and rectal surgery chief since 2015.
The endowed chair was established by the Solon and Bettie Gershman family through The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, to support vital clinical services for patients and groundbreaking research to better understand and treat colon and rectal conditions.
“We are so fortunate to have such a terrific leader in this field as our chief of colorectal surgery,” said Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, the Bixby Professor of Surgery, head of the Department of Surgery at the School of Medicine and director of Siteman Cancer Center. “Matt has been a leader in developing innovative treatments for rectal cancer, minimally invasive techniques for colon surgery and new pathways for treating patients more efficiently and more safely. We are so appreciative of the entire Gershman family for their generosity and support of this fabulous professorship.”
Bob Cannon, BJH president and BJC group president, said the honor recognizes Mutch’s leadership in research that develops better standards of care and better outcomes for patients. “Dr. Mutch’s many impressive accomplishments have led him to this auspicious installation as the second Solon and Bettie Gershman Endowed Chair for Colon and Rectal Surgery,” Cannon said.
The chair previously was held by Ira Kodner, MD, professor emeritus of surgery. Kodner served as the first colon and rectal surgery chief and retired in 2013.
Mutch, a colorectal surgeon at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, also serves on Siteman’s Quality Assessment and Safety Monitoring Committee and is co-chair of Siteman’s Lower GI Cancer. He is also a member of the Surgical Innovations Committee in the university’s Department of Surgery.
He is involved in resident and fellow education on the national level as vice chair of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency Review Committee, and is a member of the Fellowship Council Accreditation Committee. He also serves as secretary of the Association of Program Directors for Colon and Rectal Surgery; on the executive council of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons; and is a council representative of the Self-Assessment Committee. He also is a member of the Written Board Subcommittee, Maintenance of Certification Committee, and an oral boards associate examiner for the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.
Mutch’s research focuses on the identification of molecular markers to predict cancer-related outcomes in patients with rectal cancer, and clinical outcomes related to laparoscopic colorectal surgery. He has published 59 peer-reviewed articles.
Mutch has been a member of the faculty since 2002. Before he was named a section chief, he was the program director for the Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship from 2007 to 2016. A graduate of the School of Medicine, he completed his general surgery residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, followed by a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass.
Solon and Bettie Gershman established the chair in 1998. Solon Gershman – founder and chairman of both Solon Gershman Realty and Gershman Investment Corp. – was a generous and dedicated philanthropist who gave to dozens of charities and organizations in the St. Louis area.
